Chapter 146: Kohella (1)
F6uU5pq“My ultimate goal is to restore the Duplain family to its former power. Of course, it won’t be easy and it will take quite some time, but it is not an unrealistic plan.”2DA32
QPJ0sDereck gathered Aiselin, Diella, Leigh, and Trisha in one place and began explaining the plan he had prepared with so much effort.BLiXRr
dO5Now that Dereck had reached the rank of 4-star mage, he was already starting to become widely known throughout the southwestern region of the continent, and even his name was beginning to reach the imperial family in the center of the Empire.LHsT1vQ
mapVJ9WFor that reason, the popularity of his training center would only continue to grow.JnT5
kd7bThat was why he planned to abolish the previous system of the training center entirely and reorganize it under a new name, Ravenclaw Academy, and then move the entire structure directly to Duplain territory.Stn
E1ayiThe facilities in Ravenclaw territory, which previously served as the training center, would be replaced with cultural facilities or social halls, so that nobles learning social etiquette or magic in the academy could use them as practice venues.Cg4PnPD
M05O7vdIn short—he planned to push that entire massive complex directly into Duplain.sn8jVY
grvntPOnce the facilities grew enough, they would start functioning without Dereck’s direct presence.8jfGC
hnXBy only acting as supervisor and stamping approvals now and then, his personal time for magic training would remain intact.nDEl
UOO4x“B-but… why go so far for Duplain territory…?”jY4b68F
ETGKs9Leigh, seated in the seat of honor in the reception hall, stroked his chin and asked.Ag5rF
n5DJcDereck silently observed Leigh, who was sweating nervously, and thought for a moment about what to answer.eARIsI
fIkRcmASeveral reasons crossed his mind—that the complex had grown too big for him to manage alone, that he wanted to free up personal time, or that it was necessary for his own magical advancement but all of them were embarrassing to say directly.jjNCN
HwDO8nSo, trying to appear like a magnanimous man, he answered.Azau32
Dtnyvd0“I’ve been involved with the Duplain family for a long time, and above all, it is the place that gave me an opportunity and trusted me when I was no one. It is a matter of honor to fulfill that obligation.”aBi5
qbGC2EAt those words, Leigh’s eyes widened.wECTjUe
Wl5PcIVWhen Dereck first came to the Duplain family saying he wanted to teach Diella, Leigh had also subconsciously felt a certain superiority of a noble toward that “simple mercenary of low birth.”SZTg
R7KBut now, Dereck was rolling up his sleeves completely to help Duplain right when they needed it most, as if the past didn’t matter.ibh
8mrTmHDLeigh almost burst into tears.UJJGLA
0K4Zv“D-damn… I see… Dereck… you… you are…!”qhT
qj1gIYDuring the time Dereck had stayed with the Duplain family, Leigh had doubted him many times—but in the end, that noble intention of Dereck partially moved him.RyxVgX
lkSQ6ujRegardless of what Dereck’s true intentions were—what mattered was how Leigh interpreted them.5ovZxXn
3SnKH5NDereck nodded and then looked toward where Trisha was lying in a corner like a corpse.TFbB
cj46nv“I was also thinking of asking for a bit of support from the Renouel count’s house.”jV5
koXuptN“Uuugh… I can’t give you an answer that easily. Do you think the Renouel house helps anyone just because they ask?”TxUf
BRRNNU“Hey, Lady Trisha. Lord Dereck is also the lord of the barony of Ravenclaw, and even if you don’t have a master-disciple relationship or personal closeness, the proper thing would be to show respect and use a formal tone—after all, nominally he is the head of a noble house.”fx6bf
Gs4GOHx“Wha…?”YwFN
m0Y9scMAt the sudden interruption, Trisha widened her eyes, but when she saw Aiselin’s gentle gaze, she quickly swallowed hard.PrcQ3Y
PQtpjrx“I-if Lady Aiselin says so…”0zp
S0A“…”Z5ON5
HsJbKah“A-anyway, even if Baron Ravenclaw wants something, we cannot always give an affirmative answer. To ask as if it were obvious is taking our Renouel house far too lightly.”nCo
TJKU“Lady Trisha, there’s no need to speak in such an aggressive tone…”xBTsw9
FFx2“Uugh… ugh…”6X3wZ
X0dfTrisha, normally arrogant and haughty, was left speechless when Aiselin gently pointed it out.aOFN
RM5OcYDereck looked at both of them with indifferent eyes, while Aiselin just smiled serenely.soft
qJWDAiselin was terrifying.RGW01
YrP9After Diella and Siern, now even Trisha seemed to have fallen under her influence.vRX7
0OLTEverything Aiselin touched ended up becoming docile.Caf
TOADereck thought it was a relief that this girl was on his side.0l28cBL
WRw85“Our mother, Countess Rodelia, is cold as steel and strict in separating personal from official matters. Although she values Baron Ravenclaw greatly and would like to have him under her command, support from our lineage is something that must be evaluated completely separately.”LJP
qwUTrisha let out a deep sigh, as if her head hurt, and spoke again with a sharp gaze.Cl4
lUQ5kPS“My mother distributes the family budget strictly following the house’s regulations, and when it comes to cooperating with external forces, no matter who it is, she judges everything from zero, point by point.”q7qWmCx
UK5o“…”vHB9hn
BYoZ“Unfortunately, convincing my mother, who is the decision-making authority of the Renouel house, will not be as easy as you imagine. And don’t expect me to help you. I don’t do anything that goes against my mother’s wishes.”blp
X2aBSaying that, Trisha showed a coquettish smile, as if saying don’t think everything will go your way.fL2RjKh
FPUFUSShe was there only because of Countess Rodelia’s order, to create some kind of connection with Dereck and maintain a favorable relationship.qpYLz
hQO2IAThe sensible thing would have been to bow her head a little at times like this—but Trisha had the personality of never letting anyone look down on the Renouel house.Yq1xx
iiYAuVHer enormous pride came precisely from the prestige of her lineage.xpc
OeRcShe was a young woman whose noble pride reached the heavens—in short, someone tiring to deal with.WVL9Q
u740“Baron Ravenclaw will have to work quite a bit. And we’ll have to see how things turn out.”ZjWeCej
2pJBDon’t think you will control the Renouel house.k3knLh2
XyfUIt won’t be that easy to get our help.ecM02
HcPXu5QThat was what Trisha declared to Dereck, smiling arrogantly.GlnXy
juyu***WNA3ky
6Yfoyr“Of course we must help. The Ravenclaw Academy seems to have good potential as a project, and it is also a good opportunity to build closeness.”yWNcct
ndwNzO“…”zMzyd
QDx“To be honest, I was a bit suspicious, but you brought something truly valuable. Trisha, you took a carriage all the way to the Duplain territory and achieved a good result. I can’t help but praise you.”802v
TADOwGs“…”Dch41
DAR9oA young noblewoman raised like a flower in a greenhouse does not know a certain truth.DPh
iZfRulers who tread the heat of the battlefield drool over good talent, and when they find one, they do whatever it takes to obtain it.zQMFH1
QrwEZIt was very similar to the obsession high nobles had with acquiring a good magic instructor.hz7bW5
gJRn4Rodelia nodded much faster than anyone would expect.Q8zM
wLNA competent aide was as hard to find as a needle in the desert.f4r
G73If she could recruit Dereck under her command, that small “support” was nothing.Idkhv
5beAOD“Tell the butler to begin negotiations regarding the details of the support. We have plenty of resources—the reward we obtained after the subjugation of Rodentz Island and the spoils of war. There is enough cash, and even if we spend quite a lot on supporting them, it won’t affect the family’s finances. Everything will return eventually.”WArJuSk
tM28VH“I-is it okay to do that? The baron Ravenclaw’s house is still weak…”DFGX
4sKqwH“Trisha. One day you will also have to become someone who leads others, so let me tell you clearly.”P0tA0j
8DgXTvdIn the training grounds behind the mansion, Rodelia, who was swinging her sword, took off the sweat-soaked helmet and tossed it onto the ground, shaking off her hands. Then, with a short laugh, she said.xKeS
iELTw“A talent must be bought when it is at its cheapest.”65iXy
bHd4e5W“T-that…”ORF
nW1eR3s“The young baron is at his cheapest right now. If you don’t have the eye to see that, you cannot be a ruler. So start developing your ability to judge people from now on.”2Lf
m97After saying that with complete frankness, Rodelia gave her vote of support to the unification plan Dereck was organizing.WS6EVM8
wDz36m“…”e6m
wWw4xTrisha stared, stunned, at Countess Rodelia as she returned to the training grounds.tfx
w2hShe, who always checked even the last silver coin when paying for her sick uncle’s medical treatments or assigning wages to vassals, would never have expected her to agree so easily, so she could only stand there with her mouth open.5nxO86
gIZUdg6Thus, after Duplain, Belmierd, and Beltus, now the Renouel house also sided with Dereck.g2KZt9
P6j6k3If one considered the Beldern mercenaries of Ebelstein and the Rochester house of the north, his support faction was no longer something that could be taken lightly.CBkGLFM
KiVTzOnce the Ravenclaw Academy officially opened and began to influence society, practically no noble of the southwestern continent would have enough authority to treat him lightly.w4YVlw1
hQ39xHe might even end up shoulder to shoulder with the high nobles of the central continent or with the emperor’s direct vassals.vQY
gNvr4“…”x4m
eR0YTrisha, with her arms crossed, swallowed hard and thought deeply.5CU
zygmTWith the situation as it was, there were no rivals left for Dereck among the great powers of the southwest. And with a little more time, he could come to hold a status higher than hers.rZgcTb
fhaDJust imagining it made cold sweat run down her back.YP8u1N
dldUh***hTC
NhVAfter that, everything proceeded without setbacks.dvlS3LD
XebdDdIn the territory of the Duplain family, the authority of decisions fell entirely on the head of the family, Leigh.Ix5P
seGV8ESince he had already been persuaded, establishing the construction sites and beginning the work proceeded quickly.2WbXGm
9csUhYOThe scale of the building was enormous—practically at the level of constructing a small entire town.JJj7p
UthTkThey were receiving economic support from everywhere, and even though the construction had barely started, countless young nobles were already sending inquiries about admission.7boEQB
HxPREspecially the four disciples who had received direct teaching from Dereck were the ones suffering the most.I3F
DoDFrom the perspective of the young nobles of Ebelstein, the only way to get information about the Ravenclaw Academy was through those disciples.8uxHJQT
ERx9jAnd not even the four of them were accessible.xI5W
7VmhDiella was too fierce to hold a conversation with.wmg
nkqOSlSSiern appeared and disappeared like a ghost, so they could not even find her.hra
XvePCTherefore, the only option was to ask Ellen of the Rose Hall or Denise, since at least they were part of the social circle.DLk
kv58Of course, neither of them was going to say anything negative about the Ravenclaw house’s projects, so the rumors only spoke of smooth development of the academy.yOzyD
9TKaaNothing was going wrong. Everything advanced without obstacles.uoL2vd9
948QdlHowever, that did not mean there were no problems.g5c48G
mimG4M“Simply surpassing the management of a training center and constructing an academic facility of this size is practically the same as creating a new territory. The empire most likely will not sit idly by.”agW
XSvDAThis was far beyond the level of “building a few buildings in a barony territory and receiving students.”YKP1c
xm6dlWDelbriton, the butler, spoke with a worried expression.3L9b910
9zuji“…”bSpLcq
8AmDereck had returned to the Ravenclaw Barony after some time, and he was combing Siern’s hair as she sat on his lap.QSpaLV
tpOJn0QThe girl moved her magical power as if playing, but upon seeing the expression with which Dereck listened to the butler’s words, she let out a snort.IBOm
79LShx8“If you’ve drawn the empire’s attention, you’re in for some trouble, Dereck.”yrtSy7
OOrGF“Have you ever had any conflict with the empire before?”m7FaVZ1
Ds71FD“No. But I remember my father had headaches because of them. Especially, he hated the imperial magic advisers. I don’t know the exact reason, but they always bothered him.”f27
rW3wIShe braided her hair, white as snow, and still walked around barefoot.oVg7
md7blAlthough she had learned quite a bit of noble etiquette at the training center, wearing shoes still seemed terribly uncomfortable for her.Fm8I
pi33ZZDereck continued gently combing Siern’s hair and spoke with an indifferent expression.VEtR4q8
ogRyC7L“The imperial magic advisers… I met someone called Roen last time, and honestly, he seemed pretty fussy.”PSUv3zC
Xx3c“He is. But since he was a direct vassal of Emperor Guttrel, even my father couldn’t treat him lightly. Although Roen also knew how to maintain proper conduct in front of him.”VUjD
ls20Melverot, 6-star combat mage and lord of the Rochester territory, did not dare treat him poorly. That said enough about his power.aecn2
k5VmxAnd the leader of those magic advisers—D7yKx
ZIZ“Kohella Deinalt Elvester.”aor
xtuJA 6-star transformation mage, chief adviser of the empire, and matriarch of the Elvester family.C3QJQ
rW7qUxbThe same family to which Dereck’s master, Katia Flameheart, belonged.Fif
c969TQKohella was the most influential figure of that lineage. An old fox consumed by her obsession with researching magic, one of the absolute top figures in the magical world.4vCOQ
fdB48XOn Dereck’s lap, Siern moved her legs and frowned.cuR
w9q9wG“When I was little, I saw that old woman come to the Rochester territory.”hiqBu
4yl7F1Kohella resided in the imperial palace, sought contact with all 6-star mages, and maintained constant relations with Melverot, Drest, and Kalimford. Any 6-star mage who retired before had at least met her once.92nbszA
5YqzThe only exception was Fina, the archmage of the field of death.LUEIwNp
z4beHQ1“She’s a nasty old woman…”3pgcHR
jdhAn elder who, while exchanging knowledge with 6-star combat mages, dreamed of reaching the realm of 7 stars.cvMwo
stla4High-tier mages always dream of reaching greater heights. In that desire, they were all the same.f1is0U
garD64But Kohella was different. Her hunger for knowledge resembled madness more than ambition.Yd5JI1
ZyHkVMShe ignored taboos, ethics, morality. If she could advance, she would sacrifice anything.edO
Dc0rSrMEven though she was old and with life nearly spent, her desire never faded. That glint in her eyes was so raw it intimidated anyone who saw it.f9Qti7S
dUwSiern remembered that mage who had arrived at the Rochester territory in the middle of a blizzard. An ominous old woman she could never feel sympathy for.Huc4i
fVYy“If the educational facility is of this scale, surely the magic advisers from the central continent will come to inspect.”lNuY1
nnRpKrDelbriton spoke again with worried voice.ot0eB
L5gQPY“So it is possible that soon you will have to meet the empire’s chief adviser. She might even come directly, since the rumors must have already reached her ears.”XFMNCR7
WhKsMeeting Kohella.XP7f
Z2rAmRDereck rubbed his chin, sunk in deep thought.nFJ5C
2XmjQrNo matter how he looked at it, nothing good could come from getting involved with that old woman.1MeLK4
RNyi1Y“Ow!”85td
Cd2“Sorry.”90Gx
e6eMaybe because he was distracted, the comb got tangled in Siern’s hair, pulling her head.ePCydSS
W6KEDShe held back tears, glared at Dereck, but finally sighed.kdG
YGPJSGIn another time she would have cast a spell to punish the culprit immediately, but she could not do that against Dereck.BoTew
1G0rOwyIf the Rochester house’s servants saw this, they would be baffled.xTfj
8t59During her stay at the Ravenclaw mansion, Siern had become surprisingly docile.54Ufl
D8AHhAOf course, only when it came to Dereck or Aiselin.6R8Jbt
hEJkLT“The barony’s servants are better at these tasks than I am.”lCh9meY
kQ5wX“It’s just… you feel more comfortable to me.”ArAMjL
n9crIBSiern said this while hugging her legs again.HyshQi
C1yV4NzDereck observed her in silence and nodded. He knew perfectly why she behaved that way.H6N
LIxShe was a girl whose blood drove her to spill countless lives. It was impossible for her to entrust her life to people who could die in an instant from just one of her spells.VBlE75x
lnaONSince she arrived at the Ravenclaw mansion, she had not had a blood frenzy episode, but she still feared herself.zjE6UkU
o3jGsDereck murmured softly that he understood, and began carefully fixing the hair behind her head.Z1ywVL
hFC9Siern, finally relaxed, trembled her neck slightly at the pleasant sensation.3N8Jz
uf61rvvShe looked like a little wild animal shedding its fur.hgDCqrl
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